I Told My Past Self: Don't Marry Him

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After I caught Ethan and Chloe cheating, I handed him a divorce agreement.

He sat with his head bowed, then tore it up after a moment of struggle.

Ten days. In ten days, I'll send Chloe far away, she won't be in our lives anymore.

He said it without waiting for my reply, then turned and left the house.

So, for those ten days.

Ethan took her white-water rafting, mountain climbing, bungee jumping, skydivingthey did all sorts of thrilling things.

Until the evening of the ninth day.

After packing all my luggage, I accidentally received a video call from my past self, ten years ago.

"You're really me from ten years in the future!" Her bright, sunny face was excited. "So, Ethan and I are married with kids, right?!"

A flicker of bitterness crossed my eyes. I walked straight to the balcony.

I aimed the camera at Ethan and Chloe, tightly embracing below, unable to part. "This is the result."

Her eyes widened, as if struck by lightning. "This can't be..."

My voice was weary, as if all my strength had been drained. "Sophia, please, don't marry him."

On the other end, tears streamed down her face.

Sadness and shock poured from her eyes as she kept mumbling.

"How could this happen...?"

I couldn't answer her, because even I didn't know.

All I could say was,

"You won't be happy after you get married, Sophia. Promise me, okay?"

She wiped away her tears, looking at me with bloodshot eyes.

"But he's not here with me right now. He went to Europe to find an orthopedic specialist to help cure me."

I froze.

Right, I almost forgot.

At that time, due to a stage accident, both my legs were severely injured, making it difficult to even stand.

Ethan, who was even more upset than me, stayed up all night, every night, by my side.

He changed my dressings and massaged my legs, sometimes for an entire night.

By chance, we learned that there might be an orthopedic specialist in Europe who could treat me.

So he left without hesitation.

But now...

I couldn't help but touch my leg; it was healed, but we had drifted apart.

Even more ironic:

"Do you know who the woman downstairs, Chloe, is?"

She shook her head, her eyes red like a rabbit's.

A deep pang of pain twisted my lips. "She's the orthopedic specialist's granddaughter."

Her breathing hitched.

She covered her mouth, whimpering.

"So, Ethan fell in love with someone else on his way to save me?"

I shook my head.

"I don't know. Maybe it wasn't love back then. They reconnected two years agowhich would be five years from your current time."

We fell silent.

Just then, the sound of the smart lock unlocking came from the door.

I instinctively put my phone behind my back.

Ethan looked over.

His gaze lingered on my movements, but he didn't ask anything. His eyes were red at the corners, and he looked somewhat dejected.

"Are you satisfied?"

A sarcastic curve played on his lips. "I sent her away."

I looked at him expressionlessly.

In reality, my hand, hidden behind my back, was digging into my palm, stinging with pain.

"Satisfied..."

"Ethan, is this marriage just my responsibility? Am I the only one who needs to make an effort?"

He yanked off his tie and tossed it casually onto the couch.

Leaving a terse "Don't be unreasonable," he pushed past me into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

My entire body stiffened.

After a long while, I slowly took out my phone again.

Sophia on the screen was already in tears. "That's not the Ethan I know, it's not..."

I couldn't cry.

I wanted to release it all like her, but I blinked and blinked, no tears came, just a dry ache.

"Maybe people just change."

Just as I was about to grab my luggage and leave, a rumble of thunder outside heralded a torrential downpour.

My phone also received a flight cancellation notification.

I sighed.

Looks like I couldn't leave tonight. So I picked up my luggage again and pushed open the guest room door.

"You... you've been sleeping in separate rooms?"

She asked cautiously.

My hands paused, then I hid the bitterness in my eyes. "Yeah, we've been sleeping separately for almost a year."

She kept sobbing.

"But at my time, Ethan can't sleep unless he's holding me..."

My eyes trembled slightly. It had been so long, so long I'd almost forgotten.

The Ethan from before had severe sleep issues; only when I was by his side could he sleep peacefully.

So we were never apart.

I said softly.

"He's found someone else who can help him sleep now. That Chloe is very skilled in medicine."

After a long silence, Sophia looked at me with red eyes.

"Three days. Ethan will be back in three days. And I'll use these three days to completely give up on him."

I nodded. "Okay."

The next morning, when I opened the door and walked out, Ethan was already making breakfast.

He acted as if nothing had happened.

"Up? Come eat breakfast."

I glanced at the food on the table and said, a little tired, "I'm allergic to eggs."

His hand, putting mayonnaise, froze.

Then he tossed the toast in front of me into the trash. "I forgot. Go eat out then."

I hummed in response.

Just as I was about to turn, Ethan said from behind me, "Don't you think we're acting strangely?"

"Sophia, we're like strangers."

I met his hazy eyes and let out a mocking, humorless laugh.

"No, strangers at least don't butt heads. We're worse than strangers. But whose fault is that? Mine?"

The air fell silent.

We faced each other, neither willing to back down, neither willing to be the first to lose.

Not long after.

His phone ringing broke the stalemate.

"Okay, Grandpa," he said expressionlessly. "Sophia and I will be there on time."

After hanging up.

He rubbed his temples tiredly, his expression complex as he looked at me.

"Let bygones be bygones."

"Tomorrow is Grandpa's 80th birthday party. Let's go together; don't let him see anything suspicious."

I sighed silently.

"Okay."

Then I turned and went to the cafe downstairs, my phone still on video call.

Sophia hadn't spoken, so I broke the silence first.

"What are you thinking about?"

She looked a little lost.

"I just never imagined that the future me and Ethan would reach a point where we have nothing to say to each other."

"No sharing, no expressions of love, just blame and resentment."

I paused, saying nothing.

The plane tree leaves in the villa area were scattered all over the ground by last night's strong winds and heavy rain.

They crunched underfoot.

It was like the sound of him carrying me when I was sick, but now everything had changed.

The cafe owner saw me.

"Ms. Sophia, back again? The usual? Coffee and a sandwich, no eggs because of your allergy, right?"

I smiled. "That's right."

Even the owner remembers my egg allergy, but Ethan forgot.

The next day, he came to pick me up for Grandpa's estate.

I sat in the passenger seat, staring silently out the window at the street view.

Suddenly, Ethan spoke.

"You know Chloe saved Grandpa's life back then, right?"

I turned to look at him.

"What are you trying to say?"

He pressed his lips together. "So Chloe is also coming to Grandpa's birthday party. I didn't invite her, Grandpa did."

I didn't know what expression to make.

Because I wasn't very surprised.

Suppressing the suffocating feeling like my heart was being crushed, I said hoarsely, "Fine, I have no objections."

Anyway,

Only three days left. In three days, the past Sophia will rewrite history.

And we won't have a future.

Hearing that,

He was stunned for a moment.

Then, with an unreadable expression, he gripped the steering wheel tightly and finally said, "Good, no objections."

In my earpiece,

Sophia was crying.

I had grown accustomed to this cold way of interacting, and I had accepted the brokenness of our relationship.

But I knew this was cruel for her.

It was like falling from heaven to hell.

"How could he do this to you...?"

I couldn't comfort her, I could only stay silent.

Not long after.

We arrived at the estate.

Almost as soon as we got out of the car, a delicate figure rushed over from a distance.

"Ethan..."

"I thought we'd never see each other again."

She was crying too, and Ethan comforted her.

He completely disregarded the onlookers, gently wiping away her tears.

"Don't cry. Since you're back, I won't let anyone send you away again."

I said sarcastically,

"Do whatever you want. I won't object. Don't make me sound like some executioner breaking up lovers."

Chloe pouted, a flicker of disdain in her eyes.

Ethan's brows furrowed, seemingly puzzled.

I understood what puzzled him: how could I be so generous?

I looked away.

It was nothing; I had simply come to terms with it.

People around me were subtly sizing me up.

Some with pity.

Others with a hint of schadenfreude, enjoying the spectacle.

I pretended not to notice any of them, walked straight into the main house, and handed Grandpa his birthday gift.

"Grandpa, I wish you good health."

He looked at me with affection.

"Good, Grandpa received it."

Ethan lingered a step behind, standing shoulder to shoulder with Chloe. They looked like an affectionate couple.

Grandpa paused.

Then he took my hand and Ethan's, placing them together. "Is it because you're giving me a great-grandchild soon?"

Ethan and I froze simultaneously.

I was the first to pull my hand away, saying under Ethan's somewhat stunned gaze, "Grandpa, Ethan and I..."

The man beside me cut me off, then told Grandpa, "Don't worry, Grandpa, we'll get to it soon."

Grandpa roared with laughter.

Ethan, however, pulled me to the backyard. His expression was a little dark, with an inexplicable irritation.

"What do you want to say?"

"To tell Grandpa the truth: that we're getting a divorce, and there won't be any children." I said expressionlessly.

His thin lips tightened, brows furrowed.

"Why are you bringing up divorce again? Didn't we agree to let it go? Sophia, can you stop making a scene?"

I was a little confused.

"Since we've reached a point where we detest each other, why don't you just marry Chloe, the woman you love?"

His breathing instantly grew heavy. "Detest? I never..."

"Ethan!"

Chloe, from a distance, interrupted him, making the tension even heavier between us. She looked at me pitifully, biting her lip.

"Sophia, can you stop using Grandpa to threaten me?"

I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Chloe looked utterly wronged.

"Are you trying to say today that I broke up you and Ethan? You know Grandpa isn't well."

"I couldn't just watch you mess things up, so I had to compromise and leave Ethan. Is that your plan?"

I was astonished.

Then came an uncontrollable sense of absurdity, a sneer.

"You watch too much TV."

Who would fall for such a clumsy attempt at sowing discord?

"Sophia."

Ethan, standing nearby, suddenly spoke in a low voice. "Is that true? You're threatening me again."

My lips moved.

He believed her...

I wanted to say something to defend myself, but facing his questioning gaze, the words died in my throat.

In the end, it just became,

"Believe what you want."

I turned and walked away, not even looking at his somewhat complex expression.

In my earpiece, Sophia was comforting me.

"Don't be sad."

A strange ache welled up in my nose.

"I'm not sad. So, Sophia, on your end, he'll propose to you after your surgery is successful. Don't accept him."

This time, she hummed without hesitation. "I know. Don't worry."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Not long after, at the birthday party, Grandpa cut the cake and then went to his room to rest.

Without him there, the people at the dinner table openly mocked me.

"Look at some people, they've been challenged right in their own home, yet they're still timid like a quail."

"Oh, you also have to consider who Chloe is. She's Ethan's sweetheart, you know."

I listened to it all.

My hand gripping the forks tightened abruptly, then loosened. I looked up with a cold chuckle.

"You're so brave, yet isn't your older brother raising his illegitimate son?"

Her face instantly turned ugly.

"You! Sophia! What does our family business have to do with you?!"

I retorted expressionlessly, "Then what do my affairs have to do with you?"

She choked on her words.

The atmosphere at the dinner table became awkward.

Ethan interrupted us in a deep voice, "Sophia, that's enough."

I turned my head blankly.

Only then did I notice his tie was the same color as Chloe's.

His stance was clear.

That's why they felt emboldened to mock me so brazenly.

The strength in my hand gripping the forks suddenly left me. I put them down and murmured, "Ethan, you have the least right to criticize me."

His breathing grew heavy.

And I rose from the table, the emotions I had suppressed came flooding out the moment I left the mansion.

Tears streamed down my face, an endless flow.

The mansion was quite a distance away.

I walked and walked, never had this road felt so cold and lonely.

I looked up at the sky; the sun was bright, but I felt no warmth at all.

Just then,

A choked voice in my earpiece spoke.

"Sophia, Ethan is back with the doctor."

"Sophia, I'm back. Don't worry, I'm here for you."

Listening to the voice on the other end of the phone, I felt like ages had passed.

It had been too long.

So long that I myself had forgotten how many years it had been since I heard Ethan's voice so gentle and those two words, 'Sophia.'

Past-Sophia responded with an indifferent hum. "Thank you."

Young Ethan sounded a little hurt.

"Sophia, why are you suddenly thanking me?"

Sophia said nothing more, and he didn't press her, just urged the doctor to arrange the surgery quickly.

After a while.

She pulled her phone out from under the covers. "I'll leave as soon as the surgery is over. I won't be part of that proposal."

I nodded, feeling a sense of release.

Returning home, Ethan followed close behind, with a tearful Chloe by his side.

He seized my hand, furious.

"Did you tell Grandpa about Chloe and me?!"

My wrist ached.

Years ago, I'd injured my wrist saving him in a car accident, leaving a lasting issue. Now, he'd completely forgotten.

I shook him off and met him with indifference.

"I wouldn't stoop to talk about your sordid affairs. You might not feel shameless, but I'm too proud to be associated with it."

His pupils contracted slightly.

Then he sneered.

"Too proud?"

"You're always so self-righteous. If you'd just told Grandpa, couldn't he have sent Chloe away for you? Why pretend?"

Chloe, beside us, was practically breathless with tears.

A noticeable handprint marred her face.

"Sophia, I'm begging you. I just want to be with Ethan. I don't even care about a title!"

With that, she fell to her knees in front of me with a thud.

"I'm begging you!"

Before I could react, Ethan grabbed the woman from the ground and pulled her up, frowning with concern.

Then he looked at me.

"Why are you pushing her so hard?"

"She never fought you for anything. She just quietly stayed by my side, never competing, never demanding."

He shook his head as he spoke, his eyes filled with disappointment.

"How did you become so aggressive over the years? You're nothing like the Sophia I used to know."

My heart constricted.

A flicker of bitterness and mockery crossed my eyes.

"I've changed, but what about you?"

"Haven't you changed? You were always the first one to change between us."

In my earpiece,

Young Ethan's voice kept echoing.

"Sophia's surgery has been scheduled. You'll be going into anesthesia soon. Don't be scared, I'll be here the whole time."

"When you come out, we'll get married."

"No matter if your legs heal or not, I'll always be with you. If they don't, I'll be your crutch for life."

His tone was both choked and gentle.

Yet it grieved me more than the heartless indifference of the Ethan standing before me.

My eyes reddened.

The man before me paused, then his tone softened considerably. "If you apologize to Chloe, I'll drop it."

I closed my eyes.

"Apologize..."

"On what grounds? What right does she have? Ethan, just get out."

"Sophia!"

His tone grew heavy, his chest heaving with anger. "You said it! If I leave, I won't come back!"

I stopped looking at him.

Ethan gave me a long, hard look. "You said it. Chloe, let's go!"

The room fell silent.

I let out a bitter laugh, then packed my things and left, heading straight for the airport.

More than ten hours later.

The Sophia in my earpiece suddenly burst into tears. "Sophia, I sent him away. We're completely over."

I felt a sense of relief, memories of him steadily being erased from my mind.

At the same time,

Ethan, who was processing documents at the office, suddenly felt a wave of dizziness and collapsed to the floor.

When he woke up, Grandpa and Chloe were sitting beside him.

"Grandpa? What happened to me?"

He looked around, feeling a bit lost, then pressed his lips together and asked stiffly, "Where's Sophia? She's not coming even though I'm sick?"

Just then, Grandpa smacked him hard.

"Your wife, Chloe, is right here!"

"You brat, still thinking about a classmate you haven't seen in ten years!"